Tag: Ohio State (Page 10 of 13)

Over the last few seasons, Ohio State has gone into marquee matchups (whether it be the national championship or other wise) and the coaching staff has held back. For whatever reason, Jim Tressel succumbs to the pressure of big games and often plays not to lose.

Entering their clash Saturday night against USC in Columbus, the Buckeyes had everything to gain and nothing to lose, or at least that’s how Tressel should have approached it. The Buckeyes were embarrassed last year at the Coliseum, but have a much better squad this season, especially at quarterback now that Terrelle Pryor is the full time starter.

Tressel and his coaching staff would have benefited from staying aggressive for four quarters. Instead, Tressel once again played it close to the vest (no pun intended) and the end result was an 18-15 Trojans victory and yet another loss for the Buckeyes in a game big.

Even though it was in the first quarter, one drive from this contest tonight painted a perfect picture of how Tressel game plans against opponents with equal or better talent.

With just over four minutes left in the first quarter, Ohio State marched down the field methodically, keeping the ball on the ground until Pryor completed a 34-yard pass to DeVier Posey that got the Buckeyes to the USC 2-yard line.

From there, Tressel attempted one pass (which fell incomplete), decided it was too dangerous to put the ball in the air again and then rushed Boom Herron consecutive times on 2nd and 3rd down, which resulted in a gain of just one yard. Facing a 4th and 1 from USC’s goal line, Tressel opted to kick the field goal instead of trying to punch it in and take a one-touchdown lead.

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Dave Curtis of The Sporting News.com thinks so:

The Trojans rocked overmatched San Jose State for 342 rushing yards, an average of 7.6 yards per carry, and six touchdowns in their 56-3 victory. Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel raved about the USC offensive line, which cleared paths for all those gains.

…center Kristofer O’Dowd is expected to return from a dislocated kneecap. The move shifts fill-in center Jeff Byers back to guard, and gives USC one of the most talented and most experienced offensive lines in the country.
The backfield, though lacking Navy’s deception and misdirection, has more speed and strength than the Mids. Joe McKnight, who’s spent most of his Trojan career fighting injuries, emerged as USC’s primary back and racked up 145 yards on 14 carries Saturday afternoon.

Ohio State, on the flip side, brings a defensive line capable of hanging with the Trojans. Veterans Doug Worthington, Cameron Heyward and Thaddeus Gibson have struggled in big games in the past but possess experience against top Big Ten teams and Texas in the Fiesta Bowl.

The veteran presence falls off after that.

Curtis brings up a good point. Everyone is focused on the two quarterbacks (OSU’s Terrelle Pryor and USC frosh starter Matt Barkley) in this huge matchup, but it probably won’t be an aerial show come Saturday night in Columbus. Both teams might try to wear each other down on the ground and then go for big strikes over top in the passing game.

Pete Carroll has to rely on his running game. He has a freshman under center playing in a hostile environment; he can’t put everything on Barkley to win the game, and I highly doubt he will.